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DIY Halloween Costumes For Children

Halloween is a fun time of year for kids and adults alike, especially in the USA. There are always celebrations and trick or treating going on, so to make sure you look the part we’ve chosen some of our favourite DIY costumes that you can make at home or in one of Florida villas. Prepare to be spooked!

Creepy cat

This is a great costume idea as you can adjust it for both kids and adults, so why not dress up as a furry-duo when you take the little ones trick-or-treating?

What you’ll need:

– An old black sweatshirt (large for adults, smaller for kids)

– Fabric glue

– A black feather boa

– Black tights (small for kids, large for adults)

– A metal clothes hanger (straightened)

– A thick black headband

– Black mittens

– Black face paint

– A long-sleeved top

Take an old black sweatshirt, and cut the sleeves off 3 or 4 inches from the neck. Using fabric glue, fold in the raw edges to neaten it up. Measure the neck and hemline and cut pieces of the feather boa to the same lengths. Using the fabric glue, stick the feather boa around the neck and hemline. Be sure to save some of the boa for later.

With one of the discarded shirt sleeves, cut a two-inch strip to your desired tail length and glue to the straightened metal clothes hanger, remembering to cover both ends safely. Use the rest of your feather boa to top the tail, hiding the hanger from sight.

For cat ears, cut triangle shapes from some of the discarded shirt sleeves, and, folding them slightly, glue them to the top of the thick headband using fabric glue. If you have any feather boa left, stick some small pieces of it inside the ears to look like tufts.

Using black face paints, draw on a little nose and some whiskers. For adults, you can use black makeup around the eyes for extra effect. Don the tights, mittens, and a black long-sleeved top under the sweatshirt, and you’re good to go!

A witch is a classic costume, try making it!

Cackling witch

Witches have long been a creepy omen used at Halloween time around the world. You can find a witch’s hat from a charity shop, or from any costume shop worth its salt. You can simply wear an old black dress and some fishnet tights for the base of your costume, but we’ve got a few extra tips to make you stand out.

What you’ll need:

– Papier-mâché mix (one part flour mixed with one part water)

– Strips of newspaper or tissue paper

– A large round balloon

– A metal clothes hanger (straightened)

– Fabric glue

– Superglue

– Felt strips

Every witch needs a cauldron. Ensure your balloon is inflated and draw a straight line around the widest part to use as a guide. Once you have your papier-mâché mixed together, with no lumps, soak strips of newspaper in the mix for a few moments, before carefully laying them onto the balloon, staying beneath the line. Do no more than two or three layers, let it dry completely, then repeat at least twice until you have a sturdy bowl shape covering the bottom half of your balloon.

To neaten it up, take a few strips and lay them along the line, to give the cauldron a straight edge. Once it has dried completely, simply pop the balloon and you have your cauldron shape! Paint it black, and allow to dry.

Carefully bend the metal clothes hanger into a U shape and using super glue and felt strips, stick the ends of the hanger to the cauldron to make a handle, covering the metal ends with felt and superglue. With your remaining felt, wrap it around the hanger and use fabric glue to hold. Hey presto! You have a cauldron fit for a witch.

Gory extras

Halloween is a fun time to get messy, so why not make your costumes extra gory and try out these creepy extras.

Boils: Using bubble wrap and scissors, cut out a few of the circles and stick them to your skin using double-sided tape. Using face paints or makeup, paint the circles yellow, with a reddish circle around the outside to give the illusion of inflamed skin. The plastic will wrinkle to give these boils a really gross effect!

Cuts and grazes: In a bowl, mix Vaseline with red food colouring and cocoa powder, to give it a blood-like colour. Take a square of tissue paper (about two inches squared) and lay it onto the desired area of the skin. Cover it with your Vaseline mix, and using a toothpick or similar, shape the wound so that the edges are raised, for effect. Use more Vaseline mix in the centre of the wound, and sprinkle a little extra cocoa powder to give it a bit more depth. The Vaseline mixture will stain, so be careful not to touch any clothing or furniture.

Spooky Halloween pumpkins

Are you feeling spooky this Halloween? We’d love to see your costumes, so share them with us on Facebook or Twitter.

Alex is a Marketing Communications Manager at James Villa Holidays.

Known as the 'unique' one in the team, I have been with James Villas since November 2013...